cell phone and texted Agent Burke to arrange for Burke to take Jennie’s statement the following day.
He texted her parents’ address and told Burke to have an agent come there for the statement. He said he would keep her there for twenty-four hours only before they moved on so if Burke wanted his statement, he needed to get there in that timeframe. Chad wanted to control things as much as possible.
Jack would have lawyers on standby if Burke tried to force Chad’s hand and keep Jennie in the area.
Jennie’s parents came out of the house and enveloped her in tears and hugs. He could see their disappointment when she told them the visit would only be for a day and then she and Chad would go back into hiding. They tried to be upbeat about it, but the strain of the situation was clear in the tightness of their features.
Chad shook hands with Jennie’s father, Phil, and hugged her mother, Barb. He had met them once before at Kelly and Jack’s wedding and knew they were the type of people that immediately welcomed friends as if they were family.
“We’re going over to the Evans’ house for a barbeque in a few minutes. They’ll be thrilled to see you,” said Jennie’s mom.
It struck Chad then that Jennie’s last name—Evans—was her married name. He’d never really thought about it before, but of course she still went by it.
The front door of the house on the left opened then and Chad assumed the man and woman drawing Jennie into more hugs were Kyle’s parents. He nodded politely when they were introduced as Annie and Brian Evans.
When they all settled into the Evans’ backyard, drinks in hand, burgers on the grill, Chad could almost pretend things were normal. But they weren’t.
He saw the second when Jennie’s mother noticed the changes in her daughter’s body and turned an uneasy look toward Chad. Jennie wasn’t really showing yet, but maybe mothers somehow know these things about their daughters. Her waist was ever so slightly thicker than it had been and her breasts were bigger, but you couldn’t tell very easily with the shirt she had on.
Chad ducked his head against her mother’s look. Jennie would have to be the one to tell her this news. It wasn’t his place.
They gathered inside, in a casual dining room, for dinner. When the plates had been filled with burgers, coleslaw, potato salad, and corn, Chad saw Jennie fight back nausea as she eyed her plate.
He knew perfectly well she couldn’t eat this food. He didn’t know how she planned to fake it. He got up and went to his duffle bag by the door and returned with two baby food pouches. He handed them to Jennie without a word, despite the four questioning gazes that jumped between him and Jennie.
He knew he wasn’t being very subtle about her inability to eat real food, but he wasn’t in the mood for games. She needed to tell her parents the truth. Besides, a few more minutes trying to pretend she could eat that food and she’d be running to the bathroom. Trying to slip her the food pouches unseen somehow would just be futile.
“Thank you,” Jennie murmured and opened one pouch to eat it. Chad removed her plate, putting it aside so the smell of the burger wouldn’t make her sick. The medicine the doctor had given her helped a lot, but Jennie was still overly sensitive to strong smells.
“All right,” Jennie’s mother said, tossing her napkin on the table and standing up. “What’s going on, Jennie? Chad?”
“You need to tell them. Jennie. Your mom’s already guessed,” Chad said quietly.
“What? No, she hasn’t!” Jennie shook her head, her eyes wide, as if she were still trying to will everything away.
“Jennie, you’re either sick or you’re pregnant, but you’re scaring the wits out of me. Tell me which one it is,” Jennie’s mother said. Kyle’s mother didn’t look surprised but the men sure did.
They dropped their forks and gaped.
It must be a mother thing. Mothers seemed to have radar.
Jennie looked up into the faces of her parents and her in-laws. Faces that showed nothing but love and worry for the woman sitting in front of them. And, then she bolted.
Chapter 32
This can’t be happening. It just can’t be happening.
Jennie hadn’t planned on telling her parents about the baby on this trip, and she certainly hadn’t planned to tell them in front of Kyle’s parents. She wasn’t showing yet so she hadn’t even